Direct measurement of densification rate using a neutron scattering technique

A non-destructive method for measuring density, based on neutron-scattering, has been used in the dry snow area of the Greenland Ice Sheet to derive profiles of densification rate over periods ranging from a few days to 5 years. From these observations we have derived a constitutive law for the compaction of dry snow relating strainrate to stress, temperature and the "type" of snow, that is, whether the snow is part of a "winter" wind-compacted layer with rounded grains or a "summer" lower-density hoar layer. We suggest that the processes which allow compaction of the snow also promote sintering, by bringing the snow grains into closer proximity. Higher temperatures increase the initial densification rate for a snow element but also, over time, harden it more rapidly. The net result is a much-reduced apparent activation energy for snow densification, similar to that used by Herron and Langway in their empirical equation derived from ice core density profiles.